Abyss Prelude (A Dark Life Fanfiction)
by OfficialJABiz
Summary: This is my first dark life fanfiction! I do not own any characters in the fanfiction, and all rights belong to the creator of the original books, Kat Falls. First part of my Abyss story arc. Might contain some violence. NOTE: THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BOOKS DARK LIFE AND RIP TIDE (both by Kat Falls)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Please forgive me for any outstanding grammatical/continuity errors. Also, the first few chapters aren't my greatest work, but I won't go back and edit it, as I'm a lazy bum. I will also try to write at least one chapter a day.~JABiz**

The slicky moved swiftly and silently through saltwater since Shade slyly swam towards the sub. Yuck! You bet I won't be doing that again! Disgusting alliteration... anyways, Gemma and I were in the slicky. After the last township was lifted from the deep dark depths of the ocean, I was sick of it.

As such we decided that- "Look at this one! It glows!" exclaimed Gemma, who jabbed her fingers at the flexiglass of the cupola. I'm glad she enjoys the ocean now.

A few weeks ago , she did not want to even dip her toes in it, but I won't get into that, as it plays well into the next book I'm writing. What? You think I wasn't going publish my adventures undersea? I need the dough! Maybe when I publish the 2 books, I might be able to afford an undersea mansion, complete with great features and a sub collection even larger than the Seaguard's. I'm done with this tangent now. Also, about the part with shade... that was a lie. Back to the story!

"Down here, everything glows," I reminded her.

"Like you?" she teased as she went back to her seat, her perfect copper hair moving ever so slightly around her.

"Hey, I don't glow!" I retorted indignantly. That implication always bugs me, even if it is said in jest. "Anyways, y—" I was taken aback by how pretty she was, with her long, smooth hair being lit up by the bioluminescent jellyfish. My face felt like I was on Topside, even though I was 400 meters below sea level.

As she smiled at me, I didn't know what to do, as it was 3 weeks since our last kiss. She didn't give me any sign that I could kiss her, and if I tried to do it right then and there, our relationship might be ruined. Suddenly, I noticed a faint shine on Gemma's skin, which got brighter as time went on.

"You are shining too!" I accused. She smirked slyly, "So what if I am?"

I had no response to that. Not willing to go too far too fast, I decided to hold Gemma's hand, and see what would happen. As I did so, she glowed a little more, and I could feel the warmth of her soft hands.

This was the perfect moment for a kiss! Gemma asked, "Are you ready now?" and I nodded. As our lips brushed each other, I saw, in the edge of my vision, that we were 3 meters below sea level. I didn't pay any attention to that, as I felt the electricity of the kiss. After what felt like an eternity, she pulled her lips back and gently sat down. I was left breathless afterwards.

It was then I realized that Gemma must have somehow caused us to surface, probably by pushing some button. As I was thinking, a sudden jolt rocked the Slicky, and Gemma yelped. We were rapidly rising! I didn't know how this was happening at first, but when I looked outside, my chest tightened. "It can't be," I whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

"What on Earth is going on in here?" demanded Gemma. I don't think she has ever heard of these monsters before, and for good reason. Only the Surfs and floaters have to worry about these weather events. I replied in the calmest tone I could conjure up, with my whole body trembling, "A waterspout."

"A what?" she asked as we ascended to the surface violently, "Are you talking about some fairytale?" "Not in the slightest," I said softly as I thought about the implications of this. Gemma retorted, "You better tell me, or I'll keep on pestering you 'till we get back!"

Since we might not get back for a very long time, I relented. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. A waterspout is a tornado which has picked up water, and it can be ver-"

"A tornado? Do those things even exist?"

"They do, and if you want me to tell you about this before the next week, then you should stop interrupting me. A tornado used to be common in the United States, which was the Commonwealth before the Rising flooded most of it. These vortexes were massive, with wind speeds of up to 275 knots. Waterspouts are like them, but over water, so—"

Gemma pointed at what appeared to be a dent in the flexiglass cupola, inquiring, "Is that dent normal, and why are we above water?" I gasped, and immediately dashed to the control area to check for any abnormalities. Sure enough, we were 5 feet above sea level, in the center of a waterspout over the Atlantic trash gyre, with a cupola so damaged it wouldn't survive past 30 meters underwater. I did the only wise thing one could do in this situation, and that was to duck under a chair and curl into a ball.

Gemma yelled, "This is one heck of a waterspout! Why are we shaking so violently, and what happens if a piece of trash hits our-" She toppled to the

floor after a particularly nasty wind gust hit us. According to the navigation system, we were now over 50 feet above sea level, with nothing but the wind carrying us. Our onboard weather station says the top wind speed is 300 knots. "That's just great," I groaned, "We are 50 feet above the ocean, and crap going at 300 knots might hit us and kill us all. Terrible day."

As we were jostled around the sub, Gemma nonchalantly read that the top wind speed was NaN (not a number) because the built-in anemometer got ripped off of the sub. I knew that, if we were going to die, it would be together, so I reached for her hand. When she held my hand in hers, it almost felt like everything was going to be alright.

I just barely saw a bicycle fly around our sub, and vaguely thought that if it hit us, we'd be screwed. So many different emotions, from fear to joy to confusion, coursed through me, making me not think straight.

Just as I was in a haze of confusion, an abrupt jolt startled me. When I looked around, I went dizzy, and fell unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ty! Wake up!"

"Huh?" I yawned, groggily, as I was regaining my senses. "Where in the 'wealth are we?"

"Well, if you'd open your eyes, you might be able to tell us where we are!" Gemma replied. "How on Earth did we get here?"

"Be quiet! I need to concentrate!" I told Gemma as I scanned the area around the wreckage. It was night time, so I couldn't see very well. As such, I used my Dark Gift to investigate my surroundings, releasing a series of high-pitched clicks to cast a web of sound. "Well, it looks like we can't go back underwater..." I muttered as I realized what kind of predicament we were in. How were we going to go back to our home?

"I don't know, call the Seaguard or something, but please just find a way to get me back to the Trade Station!" said Gemma, somehow managing to answer my exact thoughts.

"Alright, I'm on it, so chill out!" I retorted, trying to see if the distress signal for the Slicky still worked. The heat, even during the night, was already getting to me. As I was working, Gemma scrounged the Slicky for snacks, which she managed to procure in an instant for us to eat.

The air was very still as I was silently working on repairing the radio transmitter. While I was trying loads of buttons to see if any would work, Gemma asked, "Can we use the emergency flares since this is, like, an emergency?" I simply shook my head, because my work required a lot of focus.

I was so engrossed with my important workthat I didn't notice Gemma rapidly tap my shoulder until she splashed some seawater on me.

"What was that for?"

"Well, if you would come out of your cocoon to look, you wouldn't have been splashed. I mean, do you know what that thing is in the distance?"

I shrugged, still tinkering with the steering to see if the Slicky could still use its engines. Suddenly, I felt a large jolt, and Gemma was knocked to the floor of the sub. She exclaimed, "Hey!" as I whooped for joy. The engines were finally operational!

I decided to look at the mysterious object in the distance, and could not help but be hypnotized by its sheer size, beauty, and complexity.

"Glacial," Gemma whispered, as she, too, was awed by it.

When the meaning of what Gemma said registered, I burst into peals of laughter, in spite of myself and the situation. "What? What did I say that was so funny?" she demanded.

Still trying to catch my breath, I explained, in a voice hoarse from laughter, "That thing is an iceberg, and icebergs come from glaciers, you know!" She face palmed herself when she had finally understood what I was talking about, and I guffawed some more.

"Hey, this is no time for fun and games!" Gemma spoke sternly, (quite unlike herself) "Whatever that iceberg thing is, we look like we're going to collide with it!"

That spurred me into action, as I rushed to set the drive mode to reverse. We were approaching quite quickly, and Gemma covered her eyes as she braced for impact. I stepped on the speed pedal as hard as I could to counteract the forward momentum we had by cruising towards the massive chunk of ice.

"Encrusted barnacles! We are only 100 feet from the 'berg!" I shouted to nobody in particular as I desperately tried to halt the advances of the Slicky. If we hit this, we'd be saltwater popsicles in the next few minutes. "Make sure we don't die!" called out Gemma, echoing my own sentiments.

"WHAT? 20 feet?" I yelled as I prepared to make the last decision of my life. In the split second before we hit the ice, I had one of two choices. The first one was to stay at the panel and keep on trying to stop the Slicky from colliding. The second choice (which was far more dangerous) was to jump to the back of the Slicky to reduce the speed as much as possible.

Before I had a chance to think, I leapt to the very back of the sub, relying only on pure instinct to get there. When I hit the deck, the impact caused my wrists to sprain and jolted the submersible, causing Gemma to yelp. For the next second, the only thing I could do was to think about whether my decision was right. Even if we crashed at the insane speed of 0.2 knots, our vessel would have a nasty hole, and we'd sink. Thinking this, I suddenly fainted.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke to hear a cry of joy from Gemma. "We're alive! You did it!" Her happiness was so infectious that I cracked a smile, even though I had no idea of what was going on. As I got up to my feet, I saw just how precariously close we were to the sinking of our sub. "Is there any food on this dinghy?" I asked seriously, as my mind was still in a weak fog.

"Nope!" Gemma cheerfully replied. "We are getting help from your parents, aren't we?"

"Help? Well, you see- wait, what are those?" I stuttered as I tried to make sense of our situation.

"Those little things? They're only our good friends from the Seaguard!" Gemma said petulantly. Wait, what? Why didn't they come for us earlier, and why did Gemma not bring any snacks? "Located the missing vessel," a trooper said to his two way radio. "I wish we had a skimmer like that," I thought aloud, but then quickly regretted ever saying it.

"We? As in more than one person? As in a plural pronoun which indicates the speaker's grouping with one or more persons?" Gemma smiled wryly.

"Hey! Cut it out!" I shot back, not wanting to show my embarrassment to her, as my face felt like it was touching the sun. Meanwhile, I decided to look away to not give Gemma the satisfaction of seeing me glowing. There were around 10 skimmers that I could see, which was strange. Usually, the Seaguard could only afford to take one skimmer to save floaters who have gone missing (if they were lucky), so I thought about how suspicious this was.

"Hey, why are they saying that 'the package has been secured'?" Gemma asked, looking affronted. "I mean, us two don't even resemble luggage, let alone mail sent through the CSPS!"

I completely agreed with her sentiments. "That seems very sketchy, as if we were getting arrested for something. Also, is superhuman hearing your Dark Gift?"

"What did we even remotely do wrong? I mean, it isn't illegal to get sucked up by a vortex and nearly get killed, is it?" Gemma frowned at the skimmers, which were closing in on our ruined vehicle. "Unless the Assembly decided to change the law in the last session, which would be a total Fife-like thing to do... Excuse me, I do _not_ have a Dark Gift."

Bad memories of the past sprung up in my mind, temporarily distracting me from what the Seaguard was doing. By the time my painful reverie had ended, the skimmers had come so close to my faithful sub that I could jump onto a skimmer if I wanted to.

Two stern-looking troopers were attaching a guyline to our floating wreck so a towline could be fastened securely to it. The way they did it was unbearably revolting, as they had an air of such nonchalance that anyone could see they didn't care much for the people stranded in the boat.

I could see Gemma's reaction to the troopers, which was shocking. She had a mixture of terror along with sadness and anger, which caused me to hate the Seaguard even more than I already did.

The only good thing I could think about was that Captain Selene Revas, a good friend of ours, was on a skimmer. Maybe she could negotiate for us to be released with just a warning for whatever we did. I could feel 3 big _thumps_ as troopers jumped onto what little remained of the perfect Slicky. They started ripping the control panel apart, and tossed the components onto a particularly large skimmer.

That does it, I thought. I will not let them desecate any more of what I loved, without my say in it! An animalistic rage took a hold in me as I prepared to speak to the troopers rummaging through my stuff as calmly as I could in such a state. I took a deep breath and channeled my most civil thoughts into my vocal cords.

"Hey! What are you doing with my ship?" I protested, with the encouragement of Gemma. No response. Typical Seaguard. "I said, 'What are you doing with my ship?'. Why are you doing this? Please tell me!" I pressed on, a little louder this time. Still no response. My calm demeanor got swept away by their callous disregard about what they were doing to me, leaving behind a creature of rage.

Gemma spotted this, and tried to stop me, crying "Stop!", but it was too late. I yelled at the top of my lungs, " **WHAT ARE YOU CRETINS DOING WITH MY SHIP THAT I DEPEND ON?! I HAVE THE RIGHT TO A FRE—** "

Without warning, a trooper clasped a hand on my mouth, and hit my head with the butt of a long-range harpoon rifle. As I saw stars, Gemma was being taken away, leading me to scream an inhuman cry. I blasted out the loudest and lowest sonar I had ever made, startling the troopers long enough to run for Gemma, only to be kicked to the floor and get hit in the head by a baton twice. The world became a deep black.


	5. Chapter 5

_My parents._

 _Gemma._

 _Zoe._

 _Where are they?_

My eyes were pierced with a blindingly bright light, forcing me to wake up. _My home. Benthic Territory. Where am I?_

Gruff voices punctuated the eerie silence. _The Slicky. My future homestead. What have they done to me?_

"He's coming to."

"Good. Now we can finally do what we were sent for."

"How long has he been asleep?"

"'Bout two days."

 _Huh? What are these guys talking about?_ As I regained my senses, I looked around at the unsettling surroundings. _Why is everything so immaculately sterile and unnatural?_ Memories of a terrible past started to seep into my foggy thoughts. Pictures of doctors, scanning me and subjecting me to an immeasurable amount of medical tests, rapidly flashed in my brain as I tried to keep my composure.

"Can you speak?" Captain Revas said sternly to me, releasing me from that painful reverie.

"Why, uh, yes, I c-can. What d-do you want m-me to say?" I stuttered, clearly confused by the demeanors of everyone inside the room.

"Tyler Townson. What did you intend to do when you took your submersible out 3 days ago? You better not be sarcastic in any manner or else you will experience a pain like nothing you have felt before." Her face was hard, with cruel eyes, as she stared directly at me.

 _Tyler? How did the commonwealth mess up my name **that** badly? _I thought to myself, as I prepared to answer her. "Excuse me, ma'am, but could you please call me Ty? That's what I go by."

She wasn't buying it. "Alright, Tyler, but I need answers. Now." The edge in her voice scared me, as it sounded like she was so serious she could send me to a reformatory without batting an eyelash.

"I just wanted to go take a relaxing ride in the Slicky," I remembered. Everything was slowly coming back to me, including some jarring moments. "I truly cannot stay out of the ocean for too long, or I think I'd explode. It was my day to relax, after a long week of renovating our animal farm." _And it was true_ , I thought. I really can't survive without the ocean for too long, in a figurative sense at least. _How did Gemma manage to survive in a stack city?_ Then, I was hit with the stunning realization that she was gone.

"If your alibi is in fact truthful, then why did you go through 7 no-sail zones? Don't you have maps?" Captain Revas pressed on. I had no response for that. _So, this is actually happening, huh? Well then, say goodbye to everything you've ever known._ As I was thinking, the Captain repeated her question, but this time her tone became so icy that I would have bolted out of the room if I wasn't tied down to a chair with heavy-duty iron anchor chains.

"Erm... the last update of my maps happened 2 weeks ago. I didn't know of the no-sail zones." I replied.

Unimpressed, she went on. "What do you think of the accusations that you killed one of ex-Mayor Fife's employees?"

I was puzzled about this new question. _I last saw Fife around 3 weeks ago on Rip Tide, when I tried to find my par— Oh no. That can't be right. No no no no no! I did that for self defense! Why these slimy Seaguard #@%$ trying to double cross me!_ Panic surged through me as I remembered the case of the missing townships. I had tried to forget about it over the last few weeks, but those words brought back the horrors of it. Over a thousand i _nnocent surfs dead. That man deserved his fate, and I didn't even try to kill him! If he had just removed his dive belt..._

My thoughts trailed as I felt the gazes of the troopers, which seemed to say that they wanted to get answers. _How do I say anything without coming off as guilty? If I said it was for self-defense, they would still charge me with many crimes, and I don't even have a lawyer! I wish there was a way for me to legally not have to say anything to the Seaguard._ Captain Revas left the room, and a grim-looking trooper took up her post.

"Having trouble with that last question? It's alright, we'll move on. How old was your 'Slicky' when it got, erm, _totaled_?"

That sounded too kind, to the point of condescension. I put on a poker face, and recited, robotically, "16 years and 37 days old, sir."

"When was the last engine checkup you had?"

"Did your parents know of Ordinance 376H?"

"At what depth do you live?"

The trooper droned on and on, firing a barrage of pointless inquiries at me. I didn't pay much attention to the probing, as I was trying to think of how to answer the question which implicated that I was a murderer. _Didn't I learn something in school, like a right, which I could use in a court of law? I think it was in the Constitution... Aha! I believe I can invoke the 5th amendment (which still stands to this day) which says something about trials..._

As I pondered upon the subject, the interrogator ended his last salvo of inquiries. He smiled, like Pa, at me, and then left. I almost didn't notice that Captain Selene Revas reentered the room.

"Well? What do you have to say about Ratter?" She smiled so dangerously sweetly that I had to stop all figments of rage within me from coalescing, because otherwise, she probably would have done something very bad. _How did Jibby even like her?_ The answer came to me as soon as I had thought of the question. _Different Captain. Just three weeks ago, she was so..._ _different. Captain Revas now doesn't even resemble herself from 3 weeks ago._ I had to wonder, " _Did the Commonwealth just change into something more sinister?_ "

As I was thinking about the Captain, I replied curtly, "I have the right to remain silent under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of States."

She simply raised her eyebrows at this statement. "It's a good thing we have a search warrant against you."

As I considered her remark, the heavily armed Seaguard officers suddenly lunged towards me. It was so unexpected that my insides froze up and I thought I was going to die. After 2 blows with their weapons, I was already gasping in agony. My eyes watered and sparks lit up my eyes. The pain was so bad that I started hallucinating, seeing multiple townships inside the room, hearing Raj bellow a chant, and smelling fish oil. As I curled up into a ball and was losing my consciousness rapidly, Captain Revas smirked. "Say hello to your 'friends' when we get to the prison." My eyes closed and I could see many rapidly changing geometric shapes, flashing different colors. I felt a jolt to the skull, causing me to peacefully fall asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_Nothing lives._

 _All is gone._

 _You shall be destroyed and forgotten._

 _You are nothing to Him._

"How on earth did this little shrimp get here?" _The voices._

"I don't know, something to do with the Seaguard and something." _They're coming for me._

"Would you look at that? He's a veritable Sleeping Beauty!" _What is wrong with this world?_

"Wake the kid up." _Why does it have to be me?_

"Hey shrimp! Wake up!" a guard barked. _OUCH!_ I suddenly felt my right cheek burn with pain, which brought me from the brink of insanity. _Voices. Those are just from your twisted imagination._ "I've awakened."

"You deserve an Assembly's Award for that intelligent remark!" another guard said sarcastically. "What a hero, going to trial for murder!" At that remark, my insides went cold. "Anyways, the proceedings will happen in 3 days. A lot of time to prepare your defense, don't you think?" Everyone in the hallway guffawed, which made me feel like chum left out on Topside for 8 months. _At least you're still alive,_ I said to myself. _Unlike Ratter..._ Shuddering at the thought, I mustered enough strength to go up to one of the guards and asked him, "Where's the food?" as I was famished. He didn't reply, but just escorted me to the cafeteria.

I looked around, and saw an unreasonably large amount of security in the cavernous hall. _What's the point of having so many guards when you don't even know where you are?_ I looked again, and took a double take. _The Seablite Gang! All split up!_ I saw all of them in the mess hall, but none of them were even within talking distance of each other. As usual, Shade and Pretty had the most escorts surrounding them, _probably due to their dazzling personalities_ , I discerned from their smoldering expressions. I decided to chance a punishment by sneaking a quick glance at him, and he seemed to acknowledge me! _Finally, a person I know!_ I whispered to myself excitedly.

The food was mediocre, and it was still so lonely eating food surrounded by sentries. I longed to have company with someone I knew, even a shifty figure like Shade, as I had been surronded by strangers for the past week. I longed for my fellow settlers, with their stromg camaraderie. I longed for Zoe to do something annoying like wear the crowns in my collection. I longed for Gemma, with her sense of humor, her warm touch, and that sweet kiss. But most of all, I longed for my parents, with their unconditional love for me and my sister. _I hope they are doing better than I am,_ I mused, judging by the poor conditions I was subjected to.

As I was escorted back to my cell, I couldn't help but think about how long I slept. _Must've been the 300th time I'd been knocked out,_ I speculated. _That's probably my second Dark Gift!_

"GET DOWN, NOW!" I could hear some scuffling as many guards ran to contain the situation. However, my cell was still guarded. The fight ended as abruptly as it started, and I saw the prisoner being dragged through the hallway.

"That was a quick one," a guard commented as the offending prisoner had slumped to the floor unconscious, sen

ding my stomach churning as to what kind of prisoners were there. _Well, according to the 'wealth, you're one of them now._ "But that can't be right... no no no it can't. You see, it was all for self defense... I didn't even intend to do it, it was his own fault... if he'd just let go of his dive belt...He's the real murderer, good that he's dead." My rambling thoughts became audible, and as they went on, they became more incoherent.

"Already? The kid's already crazy? And I thought I was going mad quickly..." said Warden Baines.

"2 hours and 1 minute. That's a record!"

I could understand what the guards said more than what I was saying, even as I went past the point of sanity. "That's too bad," the warden remarked. "I think what he did was the right thing, getting the real murderer. I know he didn't want to kill, and, in my opinion, he didn't do it. It was Ratter's own fault for his death, which he deserved. I don't think we could even keep that guy in this hunk of metal, because he's the type of guy to kill us all. Just what I think of the matter." I perked up at this, even as I became more and more crazy.

 _Someone thinks I'm innocent! I might not get the electric chair after all!_ I gleefully deduced from the good Warden's words, while also feeling ripped in two as both the sane and insane parts of my mind were fighting each other.

 _I'll live! The homestead will soon be mine!_

 _You'll get killed by the 'wealth!_

 _They won't sentence me because I'm innocent!_

 _They're going to work you to death, like they tried to do with Seablite!_

 _That's illegal and will never happen, so I'm basically free!_

 _Even if you get off scot-free, He'll get you soon enough, just like everyone else._

The two sides of me stopped fighting as I remembered the voices from earlier today, which frightened me more than death.

 _Nothing lives._

 _All is gone._

 _You shall be destroyed and forgotten._

 _You are nothing to Him._

The terror was mounting within me, and I was about to scream, when a guard unlocked my cell and said, "You have a visitor."

All my fear had washed away at this announcement, as I was finally going to talk to someone that I knew! _The end of my misfortunes is near! I can finally live in peace!_


	7. Chapter 7

I'd realized that I hadn't taken a shower for about a week, so I asked the escort if I could go back to my cell to wash up. "Fine," he grunted, clearly wishing for this errand to be over. When I turned on the hot water, I let out a sigh of relief. _Who knew a simple shower could feel so cleansing?_ After I washed up, I went back to my escort, who rushed me to the visitors room, and stood guard outside the door. _I wonder who it could be? Could it be Pa and Ma?_ When I peered at the window, I did a double take.

"Gemma!" I said excitedly. "You're alive!"

"Well of course I'm alive, but what about you?" she asked sardonically, which somehow felt good. I tried to hug her, but ended up hitting the wall with my arms.

"That looks like that'll hurt," Gemma commented, adding, "You know, this is just a video screen, because the security thought actual contact with visitors might've been too dangerous."

"Ah. So, what happened to you?"

"Honestly, I don't know." She looked very bitter all of a sudden. "After those ... Seaguard things decided to take our ship and apprehend us, I was taken to a large skimmer, while you were escorted by half of the entire Seaguard. They questioned me for a bit, and forced me to not tell your parents what happened, or else..." Looking down sadly, she gave a weak shrug.

I decided to tell her what happened to me, and as I recounted the events of the last few days, Gemma eyed the guards with distaste. "So what now?" she asked.

"Prep for the murder trial. You know, I think something awfully suspect has happened in the wealth. With the increased regulations, and no-sail zones for the entire Territory, we can't even survive without breaking the law." I said matter-of-factly.

"But why?" Gemma interjected. I had no answer for that.

"Well, it was nice to see you," I said, rather put out.

"I hope we can survive past this week," Gemma added.

"I agree. Well, goodbye for now..."

"Goodbye."

As Gemma left, I was taken back to my cell, where I was pondering why the Government had suddenly become so reactionary. _Was it the Seablite Gang? Was it the surfs?_ As soon as I asked those questions to myself, I already knew their answers. _No. How did the government make such a quick about-face?_

The guards were making some mild banter in the halls, leading me to think that these guys could actually be decent people. _Much better than the interrogators,_ I thought with loathing. "You know that the Assembly passed an amendment which extended the reach of Emergency Law? It was around 3 weeks ago..." one guard claimed. I perked up in interest. _Maybe I can finally see why I am in this predicament!_

Another guard interjected, "Well, what do you know? The Assembly wants more power! Big deal..."

A third one, called Steven, added, "But this time it's different! The new amendment gave the government full control of all of the states in the Commonwealth, with no exceptions. They also decided to remove all judicial power which might indict Assembly members, and made the 'self-defense' clause invalid for defenses..."

 _WHAT? HOW COULD THEY DO THAT? Now I'd be lucky to not be on death row in 3 days..._ I just sat, motionless, as I heard this news. I couldn't believe that the Assembly would be so cruel, but knew that they did that to hold onto power. Now, fully realizing the consequences of this momentous and corrupt decision, I started to weep silently, in spite of myself.

 _I'm too young to die! Why does it have to be me, when I did the right thing, when I saved an entire township of people, and when I didn't even attack anyone? It was his own fault that he got stuck in Davy Jones' Locker, not mine! I never wanted anyone to die, not even the murderer, he could have survived, not my fault! The commonwealth is punishing me for doing a noble act! I hate the corruption and grabs for power that this world has! Why can't everyone live in peace and harmony? Why why why why why why why?_

Realizing that he had struck a nerve, Steven went into my immaculately clean cell and tried to console me, to no avail. _The world hates me. I don't deserve a death penalty! I just want to live... What'll happen to Ma and Pa if they found out I died? What about Zoe? And Gemma?_ The stress of the hearing had gotten into me, causing me to break down in tears.

The next few hours were blurred because of my emotional state, but when I finally stopped crying, I found myself in a foam mattress, which was in a very bright room. It smelled faintly of antiseptic, yet I didn't recognize what the room was for a minute due to my mental fog. When it hit me, I started breathing heavily. _The infirmary!_ The memories of the medical tests hit me, and I tried to block them out of my mind, but to no avail. A doctor told me that it was going to be just fine, even though it wouldn't be. He said that he knew about my fear of medical places and of doctors, and he assured me that no medical scans would happen. I calmed down at his reassurances, and he measured only my heart rate and blood pressure.

Afterwards, he told me to take rest, and gave me a small bottle of sleeping pills. "If you can't fall asleep," the doctor prescribed. I realized how long of a day it had been, so I asked Steven, who was nearby, to quickly escort me to my cell. He obliged with the request, and soon I was in the familiar confines of my "room". Not wanting to take any chances, I popped a pill in my mouth as soon as I could, and rapidly dozed off into a peaceful slumber.


	8. Chapter 8

The next 2 days went by like a blur, as I was too busy working to think about the implications of my sentence. On the day of the hearing, however, time moved like a sea snail. Everything that I'd put out of my mind had suddenly rushed back in to completely occupy my thoughts. After I woke up, I started pacing around my cell like a madman, waiting for breakfast to be called. _I need food! And I need it right NOW!_

"Attention inmates from Cell Block 2C; breakfast is being served," a robotic voice called out.

 _Finally!_ I walked as fast as I could without getting yelled at by the guards. When I made it to the line, something in front of me caught my attention. Or rather, someone. He whipped around and sported a wide smile. "Never knew you'd manage to get stuck in this dump," Eel grinned as he started to gravitate towards the meals being served. "How's Gem o' the ocean?"

My stomach tightened a little, yet I still whispered jovially, "She's not in this dungeon, so she should be faring better than us. I mean, when she visited the complex, she said she didn't get treated nearly as bad as I did, so I think she's doing fine."

Conspiratorially, Eel asked, "So, what are you in for? We got arrested for 50 different robberies—" he smirked—"—and have been in here ever since. These guys have had some nerve, separating us by placing us in different cell blocks. I mean, they're looking at the Seablite Gang, who managed to escape that high-security 'reformatory'." Eel said the word "reformatory" with such poison that I couldn't help but feel how much worse they had it in there, in order for them to have such a strong hatred of it.

"Well... I got a murder charge," I croaked, "for 'killing' Ratter, the goon who was sinking entire townships. He would have lived if he just removed his own dive belt..." I couldn't speak anymore. Eel gravely nodded, and said nothing. We stood in silence as the line advanced.

Before he went to go get his plate, he seriously said, "Well, it looks like we've all run out of luck. Probably the 'wealth is doing something that it shouldn't be doing. I heard they will militarily taking all of Benthic Territory, and force the settlers onto a remote island. Most likely within the end of next week. See you around."

My heart started pounding rapidly at that last tidbit. As I picked up my breakfast, I was thinking. _That's not fair! We paid taxes, and you were the ones to encourage homesteading, but why are you now taking our land which we got rightfully? Eminent domain doesn't work down here, especially without a reasonable warrant. Also, why would you guys force us settlers who like the water onto a very small piece of land?_

I shakily walked to a table and dropped on a seat. I had lost my appetite, and instead started to ponder on why the government would do something like this. _Such a hypocritical thing to do, and why would you do it? There is no real gain for casting us out, unless... no, that can't be. If it is true, then the entire world is doomed! That seems really unlikely, but is the only proper explanation for the problems befalling all of Benthic Territory and I._

The only other prisoner at my table, who looked like a very young prospector, suddenly asked, out of the blue, "What 'unless' are you talking about?" _What? Can he read my mind? How is that possible?_ The other inmate replied, "Well, yes. I don't know how it's possible, but it's what you'd probably call a Dark Gift. It's pretty nifty to be able to read minds. Say, are you a settler?" I was taken aback by his nonchalance at such a powerful Dark Gift. "Y-yes," I stuttered. "W-well, I th-th-think that, uh, well, my brain was deducing that—" Before I could finish my sentence, breakfast time ended, so I was hauled off to my cell.

According to the nearest guard, I would be left here for two hours before I get transported to the court. _I'll see how good my chances of getting off scot-free would be,_ I thought to myself. _One thing to my advantage is that, unlike in regular hearings, felonious criminal cases get handled by 2 judges. I won't have a jury, but instead, I'd have one person to make the decision. That's less people to convince! Also, I wasn't directly responsible for Ratter's demise, so I would hopefully get a lenient sentencing, if I do get one at all._

My reasoning to myself became so involved that I didn't notice when they called me up to leave the facility, and I only awoken from my own panderings when a guard threw my pillow at me and told me to follow him.

As I was led towards an armored helicopter, I said to myself, "Looks like this is the end of the line for you."

"Get on! We don't have 3 weeks to get you on this chopper!" a person who looked like the copilot barked at me.

When I finally strapped myself in a seat, the pilot spoke into his CB radio. "Tango Yankee is now coming in. I repeat, Tango Yankee is coming in." _Sounds foreboding,_ I thought. _I wonder whether that'll give me a clue as to my treatment at the judicial proceedings._

After a relatively smooth flight, we landed on the helipad of the modern-looking judiciary. I was quickly escorted through the halls of the massive tower, leaving me almost no time to admire the sheer scale of the architecture. I stayed resolutely mute, so I wouldn't say anything which might jeopardize my entire future. _This place is massive_ , I marveled to myself.

After 10 minutes of hurried speed walking, my escort contingent and I arrived at a grand door, which was shut ostensibly to protect the judges in the room. Two guards sped off and pulled back the enormous doors in order to reveal... a disappointingly small courtroom. Granted, it was very tall, but it was also somewhat cramped in there. When I sat in the defendant's chair, a stately man, wearing very formal clothes, looked at me impassively. He proudly proclaimed to me, "This is Courtroom 1337H of the Sea District!"


	9. Chapter 9

"The proceedings of the judiciary may begin!" A loud crack emanated from the pedestal, signaling the start of the trial.

"We will first hear from the prosecutors," the first judge, whose name was Robert, announced.

"Your Honors, we have come here to serve justice to the killer of our client, the former Ratter. He was a very professional bouncer, who just wanted to make a living, when this, ahem, 'boy' decided to end our client's life with cold blood." They glared at me, and my face started to heat up, even though I did nothing wrong. "That is our statement."

"Would you like to defend yourself, Ty?" Robert asked.

"I-I would like to do so, Your Honor," I stammered. "W-well, I was j-just trying to find my p-parents, who were missing on the D-Drift township. Gemma managed to f-find it, and I saw that it was sinking. I tried to get everyone out of there, but I saw a high-tech submarine with a drill, the one Ratter was crushed by, and I attempted to flee. Ratter, however, caught me and confirmed that he was responsible for the—"

"That is all just a bunch of slander and lies!" the prosecutors interjected. "Ratter would never doom hundreds of people just to make an easy buck! This man is a hypocrite, a liar, and a fraud, and you should exe—"

"ORDER IN THE COURT!" commanded Robert, as he banged his maple oak gavel on the podium. "Now Ty," he added, "please continue."

I went on and finished my recountings of the events. When I finished, the prosecutors were ashen-faced, and looked ashamed of themselves, but didn't show it when it was their turn to speak. When they spoke, their voices were so filled with vitriol that I tried to cower under my desk, but to no avail. The trial went back and forth for hours, and would stretch on to the next day. We had to adjourn at 20:00 to get rest, so my escorts took me to my holding room.

"What a nice place!" I remarked, once all of the doors were closed. A sense of nostalgia swept over me as I remembered what it was like to be in my spacious home, making me ache for a sense of normalcy which has all but left me. _Better not think about the past and about what lies ahead. It's better to just sleep._

I didn't get any sleep that night, as I was dwelling on my inevitable demise. I paced around my room so much that there probably was a groove made by my feet circling the perimeter of the room. At 8:00, I got called back to continue the judicial process. _This is the end,_ I thought to myself.

Surprisingly, when I got ushered into the grandiose courtroom, only the two judges, Robert and Stephen, were there.

"I want to know the full version of your events, starting all the way from the beginning," Stephen said kindly.

 _Full version?_ "Well, it began about four weeks ago, when I decided to secure our harvest of seaweed for the deal with Drift..." It was tiring to recall the entire story, yet I attempted to make my retellings as through and accurate as possible, just in case a minor detail would make or break my case.

After what felt like an eternity, I finished my account with this sentence. "In conclusion, your honor, I believe that I am not guilty of murder due to the circumstances and the events which happened. As such, I plead not guilty."

Nodding all the way through, the judge finally spoke again. "Interesting. Now, I shall dissect your arguments under the lens of the law, and we shall see what my verdict is."

"If I am correct, I assume that when you used your Dark Gift, you were about to be shot with the harpoon, yes?" I simply nodded, not wanting to betray my poised, stoic look. "And also, you only temporarily stunned him?" I nodded again. "Well, according to Amendment 376—" —Stephen flipped through the pages of his gargantuan book quickly—"—and more specifically, section 69, it says that the 'self-defense' clause is invalid for any crime, whatever it may be. However, in Subsection 4F of Law 62938203c376, a clarification is made to allow a victim of an attack/assault who hasn't injured their attacker to invoke a limited version of the aforementioned clause. Also, presumably, the stunning did not directly or indirectly lead to his death, which means that when you used your Dark Gift, you did not violate the said law. Moving on..."

The jargon which was in Stephen's vocabulary was multifaceted, complex, monotonous, and cryptic. To follow along, I tried to pay attention to when he asked me if his recounting of my retelling was correct, and to which I always nodded. In the courtroom, while Judge Stephen was examining and cross-examining the law and comparing that to the physical and anecdotal evidence that I presented, I had to fight to stay awake. The only emotion I felt in there, for the longest time, was that of an unrelenting boredom which fogged up my mind.

"You may be dismissed back to your room, because the court session is now adjourned. Please do not go anywhere as we are still in the proceedings," said Roberts with a crack of his gavel.

 _Finally! A nice, soft bed to lie down on! My back is killing me_ , I said to myself. After the walk to my cell, (a.k.a. "room") I noted that the time was now 16:00. _So it really did last for eight hours. I thought it was eight years!_

As soon as the door to my temporary dwelling got locked shut, I barreled straight for the single bed. When I jumped on the mattress, it made me bounce surprisingly high up. I lay sprawling on the bed, staring at the bumpy ceiling. My mind wandered off, doing aimless little things without any real meaning behind it. After a brief lunch in my room, I was marched back to the courtroom. _18:00 now_ , I thought as I looked at the grand clock outside of the substantial doors of the courtroom.

As I sat down, I got a vague and peculiar feeling, which made me think something important was going to happen at some point. An abrupt hit of the gavel on the pedestal interrupted my train of thought, and made me refocus my attention to the two judges. With an air of formality, Stephen announced, "The verdict for the defendant, Ty Townson, shall now be read."

 **A/N: Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, because court cases are usually boring. At least that's realistic! Anyways, hopefully I'll do better next chapter, because 2day I haven't had much motivation to write /**


	10. Chapter 10

There was a deafening silence after that proclamation, which let me hear my heart pound in anticipation for the result. I flushed, as I thought everyone in the room was able to hear my heartbeat. The passage of time slowed to a halt as I waited, with both eagerness and dread, at what Judge Roberts would say. _Please let me live, I haven't had a long enough life, I just want to live and experience life_ , I implored to the judges in my mind. _Otherwise, just make it end quickly! I can't stand the theatrics and tension!_

Judge Roberts cleared his throat quite loudly, as if he was going to make the most important decision ever to occur in the history of Earth. _Well, it is the most important to me_ , I thought. "The court has made its final decision. Only the defendant can appeal this case if he does not agree with the verdict." _A lifeline!_

"We... hereby declare... that Ty Townson..." _Just get on with it! "is..." I can't stand the tension in the room for much longer! "..._ not guilty on any charge which he was accused of."

 _MY LIFE HAS BEEN SAVED! IT IS A GLORIOUS DAY TO BE ALIVE! JUSTICE HAS BEEN SERVED!_ I couldn't remember what was going on in the courtroom afterwards as I was just so ecstatic for not getting any sentence from the judges. All I know was that I had a couple more hours in my room before I could finally reunite with my family.

 _My family..._

 _Ma, Pa, and Zoe..._

 _I get to see them again! Everything is alright in the world..._ _When I get back, what am I going to do, after obviously reuniting with my family and friends? Hopefully I don't have to do chores today... Yes, that's it! Maybe Ma and Pa will let me be alone with Gemma for a bit. But what do I say to her? My thoughts drifted to Shade and the Seablite Gang. How will I ever be able to tell her that Shade got arrested and was put in a prison?_

I tried not to think much about it, and was just content with being alive as a free person. When the the guards called me up to leave, I cheerfully skipped after them to the helipad. There, a rugged and old helicopter was waiting for me to board, which I did at a scarily quick speed. Strapped onto an old seat made of aluminum, I felt like I was cocooned by the softest blankets possible, and was on a chair made of pure foam, which was just right for me.

The ride was exhilaratingly fast, and we managed to touchdown on the only helipad on Trade Station. I dismounted off of the chopper, which gave me a perception of letting go of all of my worries. Looking around at the familar surroundings, I sensed that I was finally home. Walking down to the submarine docks, I expected to see someone I knew, like Ma, Pa, Gemma, or even another settler like Jibby, but had no luck. In despair, I considered renting a sub from the Trade Station, even though I had no money and I knew nobody there. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a familiar face appeared, and I was both excited and a little shocked when I saw the person. It was Gemma!

I was about to say something to her, when she surprised me by giving me a big hug. However, I soon reciprocated, feeling nothing but a joy of finally seeing someone I knew (and loved, I thought) for the first time in ages. We stayed together, inseparable, for what felt like ages, until I finally pulled back. "Why didn't you see me earlier?" I asked in a joking manner. "Where were you? I searched the entire Trade Station for you like 20 times." she responded pointedly, clearly happy to have me back.

"Well, I got the V.I.P. Treatment, with transportation by helicopter. One of the perks of the new courthouses," I said with an air of superiority.

"If you are such an important person, why don't you let me escort you to your home, instead of just dilly-dallying here in the grimy Trade Station?" Gemma shot back, using a posh tone for her voice.

"Now let's go, before your mother's pies get cold." I was glad she wasn't hit too hard by the recent events, and still had a sense of humor. We hurried into Pa's cruiser, and set sail for home. On the way back, I sat in the cupola watching the ocean with wonder, while Gemma commandeered the sub. Just before we got to my parents' homestead, Gemma pulled me into the main part of the cruiser, and caught me off-guard by kissing me. I responded, savoring her lips and the electricity transmitted through them. A feeling of warmth swept over my body as we interlocked hands and continued to kiss. Nothing could seperate us from each other, and we continued to kiss. After an eternity, Gemma reluctantly pulled back, leaving me dazed.

Soon, we arrived at the homestead, stirring up a lot of muck and silt as we glided through the water. With the cruiser parked at the moon pool, Gemma was the first to get out of the hatch, and soon I followed. When I climbed out, I was startled by the raucous applause in the main building. When I looked around, I soon found out why. All of Benthic Territory had come here to celebrate me returning back to my home.

However, there were only 3 I was looking for. When I saw Ma, Pa, and Zoe, I darted to them like a swordfish catches prey, and gave all of them a huge hug. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at the sheer relief on Ma and Pa's faces, and the happiness on Zoe's face. _I wish that this very moment could last forever_ , I mused to myself.


	11. Epilogue

Gemma stared through the window with wonder at the wildlife outside of our submersible. I also marveled at the amazing biodiversity of the fauna this deep in the ocean. Gemma pointed at something outside of the flexiglass cupola, which I strained over to see. "What kind of animal is that?" she asked, referring to a particularly strange looking and bright fish circling us. Suddenly, I heard a loud thud in front of me, and Gemma yelped. I grinned, saying, "Well, that's a female anglerfish! It was attracted to our sub as it has its crown lights on."

When I said that, Gemma looked flustered, and quickly turned off the exterior lights. "Can we go back now?"

 _Not until I show you these cool lava vents_ , I thought to myself as I put in the coordinates for my destination. Just as I was about to hit the gas pedal, (an anachronistic name, in my opinion) Gemma took control of the steering wheel and made us turn for home.

"What was that for?" I protested. _She clearly doesn't like lava vents! Or those tube worms..._

"Shhhh," Gemma whispered, with her pointer finger to her mouth. "I need silence!"

"Whatever you want, Your Majesty," I smirked smugly. "Aha! I was right!" Gemma said triumphantly, which confused me greatly. "Right about what?" I demanded, as the new Slicky cut through the water like a knife through butter. (I got it from my parents as a birthday gift, which was amazing! It felt right, after losing the original Slicky 2 months ago. Thanks Ma and Pa!)

"They were telling Zoe to get ready for 'a feast' about a minute ago—" _WHAT?"—_ and I supposed that we should probably get back before the blueberry cream pie (Ma's specialty) was all gone," Gemma explained matter-of-factly. "I thought you could he—"

"You have a Dark Gift? Since when did you have such good hearing?" I interjected.

"Since Rip Tide."

"Wait... You could hear Ma and Pa, from 30 miles away, and over 2000 feet below their level?"

"Yes. If you'd stop flipping out about a simple Dark Gift, maybe we could actually get some pie!" Gemma exasperatedly replied, to which I shut up. However, I couldn't stop thinking about her Dark Gift. _If she could fine-tune it, she would be a perfect spy on the Commonwealth_ , I thought. _She'd know exactly what those greedy and corrupt politicians have planned for us. On another note, Shade would be so happy to find out about this._ I suddenly remembered, with a tight stomach, that Shade was being held indefinitely in the Alfred P. Neuman Maximum Security Penitentiary for his many robberies of both private citizens and the Commonwealth.

I remained silent for the rest of the trip, looking around inside the brand-new, state-of-the-art submersible. We glided gracefully through the glowing water, at speeds that would be unheard of for the old Slicky. We also dove much deeper than what would be safe for my old vessel, but we were still well within the safe depth zone for this new vehicle. As it was, nothing else slowed our trip, and we made it back to the homestead in record time.

I climbed out of the Slicky for the first time in the sub's history, and emerged to see a rambunctious party which was also very orderly. After a quick hug with Ma and Pa, and quickly taking a slice of that famed pie, I darted to my room, closing the door as I entered.

Gemma soon knocked on the door, and I reluctantly let her in my room, replete with my treasured collection of valuable relics I had collected from my adventures subsea. However, we weren't the only ones in the room. When she was about to take hold of my hands, Zoe popped out of nowhere and emitted a guttural scream. I jumped, and my heart fluttered for a bit, before I realized what happened. By then, I was laughing at Zoe's face, which was very caricatured and contorted. On the other hand, Gemma didn't react as well to the scare as I had. She yelped and dove under my bedsheets, not willing to move one muscle in her body. Zoe was giggling quite loudly at Gemma's reaction, which cause Gemma to turn a shade more red than normal.

I shooed Zoe out of my room and shut the door, as I had something important to say to her. "Hey Gemma."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Uh, well... don't you think what happened 2 months ago was awfully fishy? I mean, I don't believe there were any extenuating circumstances which would have justified the Commonwealth's actions... unless..."

Gemma was in agreement. "Yeah, go on."

I continued, my breath now shaky, "Unless something very sinister has infiltrated and influenced the Commonwealth, causing it to be so harsh. Maybe—" _I really hope what I'm about to say isn't true—"—_ Maybe whoever is behind all of this is..." I took a deep breath. "...is trying to target us. Specifically me. I don't know why, but I think that's what the shadowy puppet masters were trying to do."

After an agonizingly long pause, Gemma finally responded. "That actually makes sense. You probably got very lucky, because on most accounts, you'd most likely not still be here."

I nodded bitterly, prepared for the future. "This lucky streak is going to end soon. I don't know when, but I _just_ know it will. However, contrary to my attackers' beliefs, I will **not go down without a fight**."

THE END.

 **Everything will die.**

 **Nothing is safe.**

 **Welcome to the Abyss.**


End file.
